Survivability proved to be just as critical as pace in the final race of the weekend for the GT World Challenge Australia field as rain fell in the final few minutes.
Feeney started fifth in the Melbourne Performance Centre Audi R8 and failed to make progress during the first stint, but Schumacher showed a cool head despite growing pressure from behind in the second stanza.
The Team BRM Audi R8 of Alex Peroni and Mark Rosser led the opening phase but received a five-second penalty for a jump start. Another infringement for working on the car whilst it was switched on during their first stop meant they had to pit for a drive-through penalty.
With Peroni and Rosser out of contention, Schumacher inherited the lead. Whilst the inclement weather rolled in to the dismay of the Feeney and Schumacher, of greater concern was Talbot in the Volante Rosso Motorsport Aston Martin.
His teammate Fraser started 15th from the back row. They climbed to 11th before the pit stops, but Talbot was the fastest man on track after the pit stops, nearly a second quicker than the rest of the field.
Talbot carved his way through to take a remarkable second, falling just shy of the win as rain began to fall. So strong was his finish that he cut a two-second gap down to just a few car lengths at the chequered flag.
“It was tricky for sure,” Schumacher said post-race.
“It’s not easy around here in the dry, let alone in the wet on slicks.
“It was just a matter of trying to push the car’s limit to the grip edge, as obviously Liam was coming up fast.”
Third was Elliott Schute in the Arise Racing Ferrari 296. Starting fourth with Jaxon Evans, the Brad Jones Racing Supercars driver made contact with third place starter Jayden Ojeda in the Tigani Motorsport Mercedes just before the pit stops but escaped largely unscathed.
Sergio Pires and George King rose from 10th to third after the pit stops but couldn’t hold on against Schutte, who got past in slippery conditions as the drivers crept around the track. The leading Tigani Motorsport Mercedes wound up fourth.
The top five finishes were rounded out by Brendon Leitch and Tim Miles. Leitch tried to pass Jaxon Evans before his pit stop but carried too much speed into Turn 1 and went into the gravel and fell behind the other Ferrari of Jordan Love to settle into seventh before the pit stops.
The #7 Melbourne Performance Centre Audi gambled at the pit stop trying to extend his stint beyond the Ferraris in front, and it nearly paid off as he got to fourth with an overcut. After Saturday’s tyre trauma, the team put Miles at the helm of an Audi shod with cold rear tyres.
The Kiwi made a clumsy move and clouted the Ojeda/Lucchitti Mercedes to send it spinning at Miller Corner, which earned the Audi a 15-second penalty.
The biggest upset of the day came the way of EMA Motorsport. Starting on pole with Dorian Boccolacci, and jumped by Peroni, they should have made up for that lost ground at the pit stop due to Peroni’s penalty.
However, a slow stop combined with Shane Smollen receiving a right-rear puncture with only eight and a half minutes to go dumped them down the order and out of contention.
Peroni and Rosser were non-finishers in the end after the latter beached his car at Miller Corner in the final laps.
Ojeda and Lucchitti were also non-finishers. Bogged down the order after being spun by Miles, Lucchitti spun out as he tried to gain back lost ground.
In the Am class, Rennee Gracie took the class victory despite a five-second penalty. She led home Shane Woodman and Theo Koundouris for the class podium.
The next round of GT World Challenge Australia is at Sydney Motorsport Park on May 2-4.
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